Abstract
DEVELOPMENT in higher plants is highly responsive to environmental factors, the most important, in natural conditions, being light. Perception of light quality involves at least two photo-receptors, of which phytochrome is the better understood1. Most work on its function, however, has been carried out with etiolated (that is dark grown) seedlings irradiated from relatively narrow wave band sources. There is no direct evidence on the function of phytochrome in the natural environment2. Using simulated natural radiation conditions, we have now found evidence to support the hypothesis that phytochrome acts to detect mutual shading through the changed quality of natural radiation, and to redirect development appropriately3.
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MORGAN, D., SMITH, H. Linear relationship between phytochrome photoequilibrium and growth in plants under simulated natural radiation. Nature 262, 210–212 (1976). https://doi.org/10.1038/262210a0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/262210a0
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